Ep.2 Leaving Your Comfort Zone, Protesting Injustice and Changing the System with Keziah Narain

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Keziah Narain is a Queens native with roots in the Caribbean. Her mother raised her with the social-political consciousness to speak out against injustice and at the same time be loving, kind, and giving to those around her.

Keziah decided to leave her business career in customs brokerage to pursue a career in educating minds for a more just and equitable future. As a special education teacher, her goal is to ensure that all of her students receive a “special education” and are able to dream without limits, and gain the knowledge and skills to challenge the “status quo”.

Keziah personifies the definition of being a renaissance woman. She is an educator, writer, and a creative, who is committed to improving her community through grassroots movements. Her voice is one that speaks truth to power as she designs opportunities for her students to see themselves as change agents.

Right now, Keziah uses her sphere of influence to change the narrative about what it means to be a black woman in America and hopes that her voice will impact change for the generations to come.

In today’s episode, Keziah describes the challenges of being a teacher in NYC, why the #blacklivesmatter movement is so controversial, the dangers of being black in the USA, and the power of being united. I am beyond excited that she joined us to record this special and powerful episode of the Accented World podcast.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:Â

Why Keziah’s parents moved to the US.Â
Immigrating to US back in the day, vs now.Â
Growing up in a diverse country
Polsky, representing and inspiring immigrants all over of the worldÂ
The immigrant stereotypeÂ
Life growing up in NYC
The diversity of Queens, NY
The perks of no-one speaking your languageÂ
The challenges of being a teacher in NYC
The struggles of identifying with black students of today’s generation as a black teacher
Why the system fails black and brown students from low income families
Why the system fails students with disabilities
The drawbacks of distance learning on the underserved childrenÂ
Why parents are the best advocates for children with disabilities
Why the educational system in America is broken
Keziah’s feelings and thoughts about the murder of George Floyd
Why is #blacklivesmatter so controversial?
The problem with the policeÂ
The responsibility of the lawmakers
What word is America afraid of?Â
The dangers of being black in the US
The hope of the new generationÂ
What can the white community do to help?Â
The fear of repercussions of fighting for change
The missing piece to the puzzle
The facade of gentrification
How gentrification affects both the black and immigrant communities
The double standards of white America
The power of being united
The opportunity for the entire world
The repercussions of COVID-19 on the society
The nuggets of positivity from COVID-19
The culture of always being on the go
The promise of change
Using the resources that you have to make a difference
Where Keziah sees herself in 5 years